


Stranger Things

by Brumeier



Series: Monster Fest [2]
Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Angels, Community: ushobwri, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-17
Updated: 2014-10-17
Packaged: 2018-02-21 12:03:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2467625
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny notices something strange about his new partner, but what will he do when he finds out the unbelievable truth?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stranger Things

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Angels/Demons week of Monster Fest at the [You Should Be Writing](http://ushobwri.livejournal.com/) community on LJ.

[ ](http://s229.photobucket.com/user/mommybruno/media/Title%20Cards/StrangerThingsTitleCard.jpg.html)

* * *

Danny was aware that his mouth was hanging open but he couldn’t help it. His new partner/boss was standing on top of a shipping container, bloody and worse for wear after his fight with Victor Hess, but there was something more. Probably a trick of the light – just like rainbows, and Hawaii never had any shortage of those – but it was odd nonetheless. The air behind Steve seemed to ripple somehow, almost as if the air was hotter right there than anywhere else, and hinted at a shape that was almost familiar.

For all of Steve’s heavy breathing he was grinning broadly and there was a light in his eyes that Danny could plainly see from where he stood. The first word that came to his mind was _stunning_ , and that had to be quashed because there was no way Danny should be having those kinds of thoughts for someone he barely knew, much less worked with.

“Book ‘em, Danno,” Steve called down at him.

Danny rolled his eyes. Obviously he hadn’t been clear enough about that nickname being for his daughter only. In that moment the weird, shimmery effect in the air around Steve blinked out and he was just a normal guy again. Well, as normal as a crazy SEAL could possibly be.

It would’ve been easy for Danny to put the whole thing out of his mind, except that it kept happening. The shimmery disturbance was there when Steve had Ivanovich on the edge of the roof, and again when he was running down a suspect who’d assaulted an old woman for her Social Security check. And always there was that light shining out of Steve’s eyes, a kind of unrestrained glee that Danny attributed to the adrenalin rush.

“What are you staring at?” Steve asked him after the latest instance, when the shape had taken on enough definition to suggest…well, Danny didn’t want to think about that because it was insane and impossible and also insane.

“What? Nothing. Can’t a guy just look thoughtfully into middle distance?”

“Middle distance?” Steve’s eyebrow ratcheted up in that infuriating way it had.

“Yes, middle distance. That’s a legitimate thing.”

“So you weren’t staring?”

“Why would I be staring? There’s nothing to stare at. Certainly nothing weird or scientifically inexplicable.” Danny waved his hands around, getting into the argument. He loved arguing with Steve, and in just a few short weeks they’d gotten quite good at it. Especially when Steve was driving Danny’s car, which was all the time.

But he’d said too much, he knew it as soon as the words were out of his mouth. Steve’s gaze sharpened even as his face smoothed out into Navy Neutral. “What’s weird?”

“Didn’t I just say nothing was weird? I know I’m speaking English. I can hear the words coming out of my mouth.” Danny turned and headed for the car; there was never any shame in retreat. “We taking this guy to HPD or what?”

Steve followed, clearly suspicious though he thankfully didn’t push it any further. Danny knew he had to get a grip on himself. He had an appointment at Hawaii Medical Center tomorrow, maybe while he was there getting his knee looked at he’d get an MRI as well. Because if he was seeing the shimmery suggestion of wings on Steve McGarrett’s back it was probably a sign that he had a brain tumor.

*o*o*o*

It wasn’t a tumor. Or anything else that Danny insisted on having himself tested for. He didn’t know what to do next. There was no physical reason for him to see wings, and there was no indication that either Chin or Kono noticed that anything was amiss with Steve. And there was no way in hell that Danny was going to go to the source directly, because it was one thing to think you were crazy and another to act on it.

Which didn’t stop the little thrill he felt watching Steve, in full tactical gear, leap from a second-floor balcony and take down a guy twice his size. That heart-stopping hint of wings was really only secondary to the physical agility and grace of the man himself. Danny was in trouble and he knew it, which only made him snap at Steve afterwards for his ridiculous suicidal leap.

“Jeez, Danny, give it a rest.” Steve leaned against the car, arms crossed over his tac vest. “I was perfectly safe.”

“You were perfectly stupid. What if you miscalculated? Huh? Then I wouldn’t be the only one hobbling around with this.” Danny whacked Steve in the ankle with the cane he was forced to use while his torn ACL healed. “Chin was two minutes away, you could’ve waited.”

“Jessup would’ve been gone in two minutes.”

Danny scowled at him. “You are not now, nor have you ever been, Superman. You can’t fly! If God had wanted you to fly, he’d have…” He trailed off, his face flushing. He couldn’t believe he’d almost said it! And…maybe Steve _could_ fly. Assuming the wings weren’t some kind of chemical imbalance in Danny’s brain.

“He’d have what?” Steve asked softly. “Given me wings?”

“You know what? I’m done. I’m going home. You can fill out the report this time. Dazzle the Governor with your manly feats of heroism.” 

Danny used the cane to poke Steve out of the way and got in the car, grumbling as he adjusted the seat for his shorter stature. His partner would just have to get a ride with Chin or one of the uniforms on the scene. If Danny expected an argument, or at the very least a protest, he got neither. Steve just stood there and watched him drive away.

*o*o*o*

Danny had been on hundreds of stakeouts during his time in law enforcement. Sure, it was a little awkward being stuck in the car with Steve when they weren’t actually going anywhere. McGarrett had a very large presence, and the silence holding back everything Danny wanted to say filled the rest of the empty space in the Camaro. Not just about the wings, but everything – how entwined their lives were becoming and what that meant, or how Danny sometimes dreamed of Steve at night soaring above the palm trees.

Just a stakeout, but of course it all went wrong. They got made, bullets started to fly, and they’d been forced to abandon the car when the tires got blown out. Steve could easily have made it to the relative safety of the shed they were heading for – the man could run like a gazelle – but Danny was still hampered by the bum knee. When the bullet punched into him he went down hard, the air knocked out of him.

“Danny!” Steve returned fire as he hauled Danny up with one arm and dragged him behind the shed.

“Shit,” Danny wheezed. He couldn’t catch his breath, couldn’t feel anything but the incredible pain in his back, his side – it felt like it was everywhere, a fire that was going to burn him up from the inside. “Steve.”

“You hang in there, Danny!” Steve pulled out his cell phone and called for an ambulance. _Officer down_. Backup was on its way but Danny didn’t know if they’d get there in time.

He looked up at Steve, blinking the tears of pain out of his eyes, and tried to say he was sorry. The words wouldn’t come out, but he doubted Steve would’ve heard him anyway. He had a set to his jaw, a look in his narrowed eyes, that told Danny things were about to get worse.

“Wait,” Danny gasped. He could taste blood in his mouth. “Backup.”

“I got this. Wait here.” Steve pressed a kiss to Danny’s forehead and then he was gone, walking around the side of the shed with purposeful steps. Danny couldn’t have stopped him even if he wasn’t bleeding out in the middle of the afternoon in some weapons trafficker’s backyard. He couldn’t even move enough to look around and see what was happening.

There were shouts, and more gunfire. So much more that Steve had to be full of holes by now. But the bullets just kept coming, thunking into the front of the shed and kicking up the ground on either side of it. Shouts turned to screams, which died off one by one until only one voice could be heard frantically pleading. And then that went silent too.

Danny struggled to gain his feet but moving his legs proved impossible; the fire inside him was turning to ice, everything going numb. He needed Steve, needed him to be alive so he could look after Grace. He had to tell him while he still had the chance.

“Hey. Easy.”

Just like that, Steve was back. And remarkably untouched, though he’d had a good six or seven automatic weapons firing at him only moments ago. The wings were back as well, almost clear enough now to make out the definition of feathers. Danny raised one shaking hand towards them, wanting just once to know if they were real, but Steve pushed his hand away gently.

“Look at me, Danny.” Danny could see every fleck of blue and gold embedded in the stormy grey of Steve’s eyes. There was something else, too, like a tiny blue flame surrounding his pupils; it writhed and flickered and held Danny mesmerized. “That’s right. Focus on me.”

Danny kept looking even as the world exploded into golden light all around them, even as his back arched in pain as the ice melted and the fire returned. The last thing Danny saw was Steve.

*o*o*o*

The hospital stay lasted only one night. The doctors told Danny that he was lucky – the bullet only nicked his lung and missed every other vital organ on its passage through his body. Danny just nodded, accepted his script for antibiotics and pain meds, and let himself be driven back to Steve’s place. He knew the truth. He’d been dying, choking on his own blood. If not for Steve the EMTs would’ve gotten there too late.

Steve had insisted that Danny come back to the house with him, where he could be looked after and taken care of, instead of going back to his empty shit-hole of an apartment. He’d pointed out that Grace could stay with them for the weekend and go swimming with full supervision while Danny took it easy. There hadn’t been any point in arguing.

He let Steve settle him in one of the chairs out on the lawn, which had been relocated to a shady spot so that Danny wouldn’t get too much sun but could still enjoy the fresh air. He could tell his partner was nervous, and he had every right to be. Chin had told Danny that Steve had managed to take out everyone in the compound single-handedly. It was put down to SEAL training and good luck, which Danny was sure would be reflected in the official report, but he wasn’t the Governor. He wanted the truth.

“Let me get you some water so you can take your pain pill,” Steve said. Danny snapped his hand out and grabbed hold of Steve’s arm.

“Oh, no you don’t. You owe me an explanation, McGarrett.”

Steve looked down at Danny’s hand. “You know what happened.”

“I know you saved my life, and if I haven’t already thanked you for it let me say it now. Thank you.” Danny’s voice broke a little at the end, but he didn’t let go of his grip on Steve. Was he thankful to get to see another day, to spend more time with Grace? Of course he was. He’d never be able to express his appreciation for that. But there were things he needed to know.

“Danny, don’t.”

“I’ve seen them, Steve. The wings. I thought I was losing my mind, but I wasn’t.”

Steve closed his eyes for a moment, tongue slipping out to wet his lips before he looked down at Danny. “No, you weren’t.”

“Show me.”

“You shouldn’t be able to see them.” Steve tugged his arm out of Danny’s grip. “No-one should.”

“Show me.”

Danny had to endure Constipated Face for a full minute before Steve nodded. He stood there dressed in his ubiquitous khaki cargo pants and a tight blue shirt, Five-0 badge clipped to his belt, and then the air shimmered in that same familiar way. Only this time there was a loud snapping sound, like the crack of whip, and the wings burst forth in full-on high definition glory, white and snowy in the dappled light beneath the trees.

It was exactly what he’d wanted, and all Danny could do was stare. Steve looked other-worldly and magnificent, the wings massive and somehow graceful despite their size and obvious strength. The breeze from off the water ruffled through the feathers and Danny could hear the rustling noise they made as they moved. It was surreal.

“That’s…I don’t know what to say.”

“You mean I finally rendered the great Danny Williams speechless? Amazing.” The words were joking but Steve still looked wary, as if Danny might pull his gun out and start taking pot-shots at him.

“Are you…what are you?” The word was there but Danny couldn’t be the one to say it.

“The technical term is archangel.”

“But you have a family.” And okay, those weren’t the smartest words to come out of his mouth. He could totally buy Steve as some kind of avenging angel, with or without wings, but angels didn’t have families or Naval careers.

“You know what they say. ‘There are more things in heaven and earth, Danno, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.’”

“Are you quoting Shakespeare at me?” Danny waved an impatient hand at Steve, who obligingly pulled him up out of the chair. “I thought it was _stranger_ things.”

“It’s not.”

“So your sister. Your dad. Your chest full of Navy medals. Is that all a lie?”

Steve shrugged, the wings moving with the gesture. “Yes. And no.”

“Oh, well that’s very illuminating. Thank you so much for that. Can you fly with those things? How has no-one else ever seen them?”

“So much for speechless.” Steve still looked a bit uncertain, but he visibly relaxed under the onslaught of Danny’s words. “Yes. I can fly. And I have no idea why you can see them when I don’t want you to. No-one else ever has.”

“Why are you here? I mean, in Hawaii? Shouldn’t you be out in the world, smiting terrorists or something?” Danny itched to reach out and touch, and curled his hands into fists to keep from doing so. He didn’t want to be presumptuous or make Steve uncomfortable. 

“This is where I need to be.” There was an expression on Steve’s face that was hard to read, and Danny thought he’d gotten pretty good at interpreting those visual cues. “Plenty of smiting to do on the Islands. That’s why Steve McGarrett was created.”

Danny was having a hard time finding his footing. He’d become fairly skilled at interpreting Steve, at reading all the subtleties, which was important because Steve played everything so close to the vest. Now there was a new piece to the puzzle, one which altered the whole picture.

“What do you mean, created?”

“I can remember a whole lifetime down to the smallest detail. Not just events, but emotions too. And anyone I would ever have come in contact with remembers me too.”

“That’s…kind of creepy actually. So you’re not really a SEAL?”

“For all intents and purposes, yes. I remember going through training, I remember every mission, everyone I served with or for.” He looked almost apologetic. “I was placed in the world to do some good.”

“That’s one hell of a witness protection program.”

“I know this changes things,” Steve said, and there was no masking the sound of defeat in his words.

“Understatement of the year, babe,” Danny replied with a snort. “I won’t lie. I’m gonna need some time to process this.”

A flicker of surprise flashed across Steve’s face before he locked it down, and Danny felt an answering ache in his chest. He didn’t understand how an angel could sound so unsure, or why he even cared about Danny’s reaction; he was just a haole cop from New Jersey, certainly not a blip on any deity’s radar.

“I can take you home.” 

It was an easy out but then when did Danny ever choose the easy way? “And miss out on the opportunity to have you at my beck and call? No sale.” He eased himself back into the chair. “I believe you said something about water?”

Steve gave him an assessing look and then the wings vanished in a flash of golden light. Danny did his best to look unmoved until Steve went back inside and couldn’t see the wonder on his face.

*o*o*o*

Danny had a hard time getting to sleep that night, not the least of all because his injury made it hard to find a comfortable position. Steve was upstairs in his bed and that thought alone was enough to keep Danny from relaxing. Did Steve sleep in the nude? Did he let his wings out to drape off the sides of the bed? Those questions and a million more buzzed around inside Danny’s head.

He hadn’t been allowed to do anything more strenuous than nap and watch TV all day, but Danny had managed to do some surreptitious research on his phone. There wasn’t much he could find on archangels, aside from a few Bible references and some fan art of celebrities with wings. Even the naps had been frustrating thanks to increasingly erotic dreams that involved feathers.

Danny tried to turn on his side and groaned. Even with the pain pills, which he was trying not to overdo, he was sore. He didn’t think he’d been too loud but moments later he could hear Steve coming down the stairs.

“Hey, buddy. You okay?”

Steve was illuminated by the glow from the TV, which had the picture on but the sound turned down. He wasn’t naked, which was both a relief and a disappointment, but wearing a pair of loose-fitting blue plaid sleep pants. He squatted down, saving Danny from having to avert his gaze from his partner’s crotch.

“I got shot yesterday,” Danny reminded him. “It’s just a little difficult getting comfortable.”

“You want a pain pill?”

“No, it’s not time yet. Did I wake you?” Danny fidgeted with the blanket. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Steve topless before; the man needed no inducement to strip off his shirt. But the circumstances were different, more intimate somehow here in the house in the semi-darkness.

“I wasn’t asleep.” Steve folded gracefully to the floor, legs crossed. “I’m sorry. About yesterday.”

Danny propped himself up on one elbow and frowned. “Sorry for what? _You_ didn’t shoot me, and unless you’re omniscient you didn’t know someone else would.”

Steve huffed out a laugh. “Not omniscient.” He ran a hand through his already mussed hair, which was in no way endearing. “Just, I could’ve fixed you all the way if I hadn’t called it in first.”

Danny’d had plenty of time to think about his miraculous recovery. Wings were one thing, but what Steve had done to heal him was a different kind of magic. He suspected that if this all didn’t apply to the crazy SEAL that was his partner he would have been floundering a hell of a lot more. As it was, he merely assimilated all this new data into his overall picture of Steve.

“You saved my life, goof. You don’t need to apologize for that. You _never_ need to apologize for giving me more time with my little girl.”

Steve ducked his head, TV throwing shadows across his face and hiding his expression. “I can do it now.”

“Do what now?” Danny asked, even though he really didn’t need an answer. When Steve looked up at him, eyes glittering in the dim light, Danny knew he wouldn’t say no even though it made more sense to just tough things out so as not to draw suspicion.

“Let me finish what I started.” Steve was reaching out for Danny even before he was done talking. He braced himself with one hand on the floor as he leaned forward and tugged the blanket down. Danny held his breath as Steve’s hand splayed across his abdomen, fingers stroking over his t-shirt.

Danny kept his eyes on Steve’s hand, feeling it like an imprint even through his clothes. The room brightened, becoming suffused with golden light. His body heated up from the outside in, not the fire that had burned through him last time but a pleasant warmth that seeped into his bones.

There was a loud snap as Steve’s wings exploded into reality, smashing a lamp and knocking several knick-knacks and picture frames to the floor. They drew Danny’s gaze and he caught his breath when he got a look at Steve’s face. _Angelic_ was a trite word to use under the circumstances but it was apt. There was a soft, almost peaceful expression on his face, one that Danny had never seen before. The emotion shining out of his eyes was staggeringly powerful and so clear with no barriers in place.

All too soon the light began to fade, taking all of Danny’s residual pain with it. When Steve made to pull his hand away Danny grabbed hold of his wrist to keep him in place. “You’re amazing. You know that, right?”

“I’m really not,” Steve protested softly.

“Shut up. We’re having a moment.” Danny didn’t think about the consequences, not when he was still feeling the warmth from his connection with Steve. He tugged his partner close and arched up until their lips met.

Steve went completely still until Danny ran his tongue along Steve’s bottom lip, and then he surged against Danny. The kiss deepened instantly and Steve started to make needy noises in the back of his throat. Danny felt like his heart was going to beat right out of his chest; the rush of finally kissing Steve was the best thing he’d ever felt. When they finally came up for air Steve was sprawled on top of him, wings covering them like a canopy.

“I need to know something,” Danny said. Steve’s hands were under Danny’s shirt, skimming over his rib cage in a very distracting manner.

“Just one thing?” That soft, sweet look was still on Steve’s face and Danny decided he liked it enough to want to see it there as often as possible.

“Is this temporary? I mean you here in Hawaii. Because I don’t want to get invested if you’re going to just fly away.” Even as he said it Danny knew it was too late for him; he was already too wrapped up in this frustrating, beautiful man.

Steve pressed a kiss to the end of Danny’s nose. “I’ll be living out a normal life span. I’m not going anywhere.”

“Oh, well, that’s a relief,” Danny said with a snort. “The way you throw yourself at suspects that should be another five or six months. At most.”

“I think you’ll find I’m hard to kill, Danny.” Steve kissed him again, hands still on the move across Danny’s skin leaving a different kind of fire in their wake. “You sure you’re okay with this?”

By _this_ Danny assumed he meant the wings, which were shifting and rustling above them, and not the erection that was poking him in the thigh. There was nothing stopping him from touching now and so he did, reaching up with one hand to run his fingers across the feathers. Danny didn’t have a lot of experience with birds but they felt normal, if a bit softer than he was expecting.

Steve’s response was also unexpected. He closed his eyes and shuddered, dropping his forehead to Danny’s. That certainly opened up some interesting possibilities, and Danny allowed himself to think about a better future for himself, one where he wasn’t alone. One where he was free to indulge the wing kink he’d very recently developed.

“Told you I needed to be here,” Steve murmured in Danny’s ear. “Now I know why.”

Danny flushed, embarrassed and pleased. He covered by kissing Steve, hard and dirty, and trailing his hands up his partner’s back until he reached the junction of flesh and feathers; Steve let out a breathy sigh.

“I’m glad you came to Hawaii, angel boy.”

“I’ll make you glad _you_ came,” Steve replied with a leer.

“Wow, that wasn’t remotely angelic. How is this my life?”

“Happy to expand your world view, Danno. Today angels, tomorrow surfing.”

“Danno don’t surf,” Danny replied with a grin. “I think maybe we can come up with a more appropriate activity that involves less sand in uncomfortable places.”

“Mmm,” Steve hummed amicably. He was busy laying wet kisses along Danny’s jawline.

 _More things in heaven and earth_. Danny’s philosophy – hell, his whole life – was undergoing a sea change. He had no regrets, and he sent up a silent prayer of thanks. Turns out someone was listening after all.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** Who else could rain fiery vengeance upon the criminal element of Hawaii but Steve? LOL! The Shakespeare quote, incidentally, is from Hamlet. Of course, it was Horatio, not Danno, in the original text. ::grins::
> 
> I really had to wrestle with this one. Steve and Danny wouldn’t stop fighting me over that last scene. All the smooching seemed to appease them, thankfully.


End file.
